"We're gonna battle"- Austin Reaves gives props to Nikola Jokic but declares that the LA Lakers have come here for a fight

Austin Reaves and the LA Lakers could only watch in awe as Nikola Jokic ran rings around them in Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets. Jokic’s mind-boggling first half was the biggest reason why the Nuggets ended the first 21 minutes with a 72-54 lead.

After the game, this is what Reaves had to say about the “Joker’s” performance:

"He's really good, obviously. He won an MVP two years in a row. He just makes everybody on his team better. … Hats off to him, but this is a series and we're gonna battle."

Nikola Jokic showed why he was the NBA’s back-to-back MVP over the past two seasons and why some thought he deserved a three-peat. The “Joker” had eight points, 12 rebounds and five assists in just 11 minutes in the first quarter. He had as many offensive rebounds (6) as the entire Lakers team had as a unit.

By halftime, Jokic had 19 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists. LA combined for 13 boards throughout the entire first half. The Denver Nuggets’ dominance on the boards helped them get to a 72-54 halftime lead.

Austin Reaves, on the other hand, struggled like many of his teammates. He had five points and six assists. The LA Lakers were led by Anthony Davis’ 18 points, two rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

The Lakers managed to beat the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the playoffs and the Golden State Warriors in the semifinals. They didn’t look like they had a chance of pulling an upset heading into the halftime break.

It seemed like Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, who had the best offense in the playoffs, were toying with the best defense. Jokic received plenty of support from Jamal Murray, who tallied 17 points, four rebounds and three assists.

Bruce Brown came off the bench to score 14 points. The LA Lakers’ role players could only muster 15 points combined.

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Austin Reaves helped the LA Lakers push back in the second half against Nikola Jokic’s Denver Nuggets

The start of the second half was when the LA Lakers’ began their crawl out of a 21-point deficit. LeBron James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Anthony Davis showed grit and composure. They held Denver to 34 points while scoring 38 of their own.

Nikola Jokic buried a buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the third quarter to give the Denver Nuggets some breathing room. The Lakers, though, were breathing down their necks and were primed for another run in the final period.

AD’s defense started to make an impact on Denver’s offense. Hachimura also stepped up big time, hitting timely shots while helping to contain the “Joker” on defense.

Suddenly, the lead went down to three points on two occasions. Austin Reaves’ three-pointer, his third in the final quarter, edged the LA Lakers closer 124-121. A few minutes later, LeBron James’ two free throws cut it down to 129-126.

The Nuggets had a 131-126 lead when James lost the ball off a nifty pass from Reaves. Nikola Jokic’s last free throw settled the score and gave Denver a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals.

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